


Chicken Soup for the Soul

by angelboygabriel



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Banter, M/M, Moderate Sexual Content, Not Your Typical Sick Fic, comic book science & magic, lots of magic use, vague references to Infinity War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 18:31:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14699847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelboygabriel/pseuds/angelboygabriel
Summary: “Well, I’m not sick in the traditional sense.” Stepen said slowly, and Tony nodded.“Go on.”“It’s complicated to explain.”Tony crossed his arms. “I genuinely do have all day, so start explaining, Merlin.”





	Chicken Soup for the Soul

  
Tony was messing around with the latest prototype for Rhodey’s leg brace when his phone rang. The contact ‘Hot Harry Potter’ flashed across the screen and Tony smirked as he picked it up.

“I’m sick.” the voice on the other line immediately said, and Tony raised an eyebrow.

“First of all, can Sorcerer Supremes even get sick, and secondly, what the hell does that have to do with me? I appreciate wanting to hear my beautiful voice but still.”

“Would I be calling you if I wasn’t sick? Don’t flatter yourself that much, Stark. I’m only calling you because I need someone that I trust to come to the Sanctum to help with it and Wong’s... busy right now.”

“Aw, you trust me-“

“I’m hanging up, Tony.”

 

* * *

 

To Tony’s credit, he got to the Sanctum as quickly as he could, complete with a jug of chicken soup from Peter’s favorite deli, a pack of pepto and some tea. Tony told himself he wasn’t _that_ concerned, he was just being nice. The door swung open before Tony could raise his fist to knock, and he stepped in.

“Stephen? Wong?” Tony yelled as the door shut behind him. He started walking up the grand staircase, taking a cursory glance at the museum level- nothing but a variety of feather dusters sprucing up the place, Tony noted with an eye roll- before heading up another level to the kitchen and commons. Still no one. The next level was the bedrooms hall, and the door that Tony knew to be Stephen’s swing open. He walked in and set his sick-gifts into Stephen’s desk before turning his attention to the sorcerer.

He didn’t _look_ very sick, just kind of angrily levitating with his arms and legs crossed.

“Tony.” he greeted crossly, and Tony was mildly offended he didn’t get a warmer reception.

“Strange. You don’t... look sick.” Tony said cautiously and Stephen sighed. It rattled the window frame and his scowl deepened as Tony looked slightly confused.

“Well, I’m not sick in the _traditional_ sense.” he said slowly, and Tony nodded.

“Go on.”

“It’s complicated to explain.”

Tony crossed his arms. “I genuinely do have all day, so start explaining, Merlin.” he shot back and a gentle gust of air ruffled Tony’s hair. “Okay and also? What’s with all the rampant magic? I know weird is usually your thing but this seems a bit excessive today.”

Stephen ran a hand through his hair and didn’t seem to notice as he turned upside down. “Well, that’s part of the problem. Like I said, I’m _sick_. Magically so. Part of my soul is stuck in the mirror dimension and it’s preventing me from being able to control any of my powers. Seeing as I’m the keeper of the Sanctum, the magic in this dimension uses me as a conduit and when I’m not controlling the flow, it’s not unlike running a fever. I’m currently an open circuit with no breaker.” he explained.

“Huh.” Tony commented thoughtfully. “How did part of you get stuck in the mirror dimension in the first place?” Tony asked as an afterthought, and Stephen turned back right side up.

“To really oversimplify things, some crystal creatures tore off part of my soul when I was taking my astral body back into my corporeal one.” Stephen said.

“Strange, that sounds really fucking bad.” Tony replied and looked at the container of chicken soup. Stephen noticed the little pile of stuff on his desk and his expression softened. The room was suddenly filled with the scent of wildflowers, and Stephen swore under his breath.

“So, what do you want me to do?” Tony asked and Stephen gently drifted down to sit on his bed.

“I was hoping you could help me think of solutions. Wong is at Kamar-Taj right now with all the students looking for potential spells. I can’t access the mirror dimension while part of my soul is still there and they’re trying to figure out how to locate it. I was thinking you could help me see the mechanical side of things.” Stephen said and Tony hummed thoughtfully. He picked up the chicken soup and brought it.

“Eat this first. It’s from Pete and May’s favorite place. I know my mom always said chicken soup helps you heal your soul and I have no idea if there’s even a lick of truth to that statement but here’s to hoping.” Tony rushed out before he sat down, thinking hard about Stephen’s predicament.

Stephen carefully spooned the soup into his mouth while Tony thought before he set it on the bedside table.

“Well, theoretically magic users can identify their spell signatures on anything that belongs to them, right? Like a GPS?” Tony asked and Stephen nodded. “Have you considered not trying to find a soul locating spell, but maybe a magic tracking one? Just a thought.” Tony mused, and Stephen lit up.

“I suppose you really are somewhat of a genius.” Stephen said delightedly and a flower bloomed from his cloak. He lifted his sling ring and spun a portal open to reveal Wong and some students buried in books. Stephen explained Tony’s simple theory and Wong looked at the students, like he was disappointed they didn’t think of that.

“Don’t worry, I feel stupid I didn’t think of that either.” Stephen said, and Tony shot him a smug smile. He took off his sweatshirt as Wong quickly located a spell. It was starting to get warm in the room.

One of the students held up a book and Wong scanned what she’d found.

“Excellent job. We’ve found what you need, Stephen, and it’s fairly simple. If you generate a large enough summoning of magic, you can fall back into the mirror dimension and anything with your magic signature will be attracted to you.” Wong said. “Good luck.” he added before the portal closed.

“Okay, give a power burst a shot, I guess.” Tony directed and Stephen shut his eyes. Tony watched in fascination as he closed his eyes, clenched his fists and everything in the room began to levitate. An orange glow overtook his arms, and the room temperature raised even higher. The air suddenly cracked, and Stephen opened his eyes. The crack disappeared and everything thunked to the ground.

They waited. Nothing.

“So now what?” Tony asked. “We piss you off to get a power surge?”

Stephen shrugged. “You can give it an attempt. I don’t know how good your insults will be though.” he taunted, and Tony grinned in challenge.

“They’re better than your magic. That’s a bunch of party shit. At least my insults and suits are _useful_. I don’t have to say ‘bippity boppity boo’ and pray some dumbass sparkles will appear. I mean, that’s just sad. Loki can do so much better. God, it probably doesn’t take much to be the Sorcerer Supreme. You were probably just convenient.” Tony said. He couldn’t bring himself to say the really shitty stuff, but nonetheless he felt like the barometric pressure was rising and his nanotech implant sparked nastily under his skin.

“Tony, I know you can be crueler.”

“I really don’t want to be.”

The pressure in the room relieved with Stephen’s put off sigh and he gave Tony an unreadable look. It made Tony feel like he was burning, but that might just be the magic.

“Anger doesn’t work, I guess. I don’t think sadness will, either.”

“Do you think lust would?” Tony asked abruptly, and Stephen looked at him in surprise.

“It... would depend on the person.” Stephen said slowly, and Tony licked his lips nervously.

“What if it was me?” he questioned, and Stephen went very still.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Anthony. I’m not attracted to you.” he snapped, but the way his voice wavered and the utterly _strange_ feeling of someone running their hands down Tony’s chest and back said otherwise.

“You’re not attracted to me? After the way you looked at me the first time we met?”

“No.”

Tony can tell he’s hit _something_ within the wizard and decides to push his luck.

“Not even after the way you winked at me after we fought together?”

“No.”

“Not even after all those millions of lifetimes seeing the whole world, giving up the stone for me? Because I know you, Stephen. You didn’t do that because that was the only way.”

“ _No_.”

Tony got closer to him, so close that he could feel the open-circuit magic radiating off him.

“Not after everything returning to normal and celebrating but being unable to see anyone but each other?”

Tony felt like he was getting reckless, but Stephen had lost his ability to respond.

“Do you even _know_ what I’ve started dreaming about once I got over most of the nightmares? You. You drive me fucking crazy, Stephen Strange. You’re always in my mind. _I hate it_.” Tony said, and at that point, they were both breathing heavily and the tension hung tangibly in the air.

All Stephen could ask was: “Do you want me out of your head?”

Tony laughed, high and bitter. “I want to let you _in_.” he whispered before he half shoved Stephen onto his back and let the wizard jerk him down by the collar into a bruising kiss. The too loud sound of shattering glass echoed around them, and they pulled apart almost as fast as they came together, and Tony sat up and gawked at the surroundings.

His disappointment from having the kiss cut short was immediately relieved by looking around at the mirror dimension. It was like the normal dimension... but not.

Some edges looked like the designs on the crystal plates Tony’s mom would use for fancy dinners. Other massive floor-to-ceiling mirrors looked like the facets of a diamond.

Stephen sat up too, Tony’s legs framing his lap as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and watched his expressions.

“Looks like you kissed me into the next dimension.” Stephen noted with an impressed air.

“You bet, sexy Gandalf.” Tony mumbled, transfixed by the way the light bent in the dimension.

Stephen’s hands started to sizzle against Tony’s hips and he quickly lifted them up. He squinted over Tony’s shoulder and stuck out his hand in a beckoning gesture, the runes for the spell tracing his wrist, and Tony watched in wonderment as the crystalline air seemingly melded into a flat plane of sparkling orange light which rushed to Stephen. It went right through Tony but buried itself in Stephen’s chest.

He gasped and partly doubled over, head thunking against Tony’s chest. Stephen slowly looked up at him and blinked blearily as his soul reoriented in him, eyes going that signature orange before fading back to sharp blue. He waved his hand and the diamond surfaces started to crack.

The whole dimension shattered around them and Tony grabbed back onto Stephen as they inadvertently fell backwards in surprise.

“Well, shit. So, it worked?” Tony asked, and Stephen laughed beneath him.

“Quick and painless.” he replied.

“Except for my dignity.” Tony mumbled and Stephen scrunched his chin to try and look at how Tony was lying on his chest.

“Your _dignity_.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about that stuff I said to get us into, the uh, dimension. I hope that wasn’t too awful.” Tony said, finally looking Stephen in the eye. _Fix it, fix it, fix it,_ he thought to himself.

Stephen just stared at him flatly.

“So you think that was a mistake? What a fucking disappointment. I thought we could get over this thing between us and finally have sex.” he deadpanned and Tony stuttered.

“Wait, what?” Tony asked incredulously and Stephen looked like he was about to let his cloak strangle him to death. “You... don’t mind that I’m attracted to you?”

“No, you utter idiot. I’d hope you were telling the truth and this is just an internalized damage control thing?” he questioned and Tony was briefly taken aback by how accurately Stephen seemed to be able to read him. A smirk quirked at the corner of his mouth, and Tony couldn’t help but pull himself forwards and kiss him.

“Stop worrying so much, Stark. How could I not be attracted to you?” he said with a dazzling smile after they broke apart, and Tony eagerly ducked back down to kiss him again.

They were still sprawled on top of Stephen’s bed and Tony groaned as one of Stephen’s legs pushed up against his side.

Tony kissed him deeper, licking into his mouth and was thrilled when Stephen’s mouth opening more sent a bubbly sensation down his spine. Stephen slid his hands down to Tony’s ass and then back up and he laughed before breaking apart for air.

“Holy _fuck_.” Tony chuckled, licking his lips as he looked down at Stephen. He grinned back.

“Kiss me again, Anthony.” Strange demanded, and Tony felt his face flush and desire spike hot in his stomach.

They kissed again, and Stephen did this thing that made Tony freeze up as the admittedly weird but _really_ nice sensation of Stephen literally raising his emotions swept through him. Stephen had brought his hand to Tony’s front and was performing some type of magic.

Stephen smiled wickedly and Tony’s jaw dropped as he pushed himself up on his arms to looked at his chest. A tendril of orange light was coming from Stephen’s hand as he slowly pulled it up, and Tony could feel his arousal kicking up a notch as Stephen’s hand moved. He was hard and starting to sweat and Stephen... well, he was being himself.

“I don’t even know what you’re doing to me, but don’t stop.” Tony said, and cursed the way his own voice already sounded half-fucked.

Tony blinked in shock as he suddenly found himself beneath the wizard. Stephen had the audacity to fucking wink at him before he ran his hands down Tony’s sides, clothes magically disappearing beneath his hands before he ran his hands down his own chest. Tony tried to pretend like the magic wasn’t turning him on but gave up.

Stephen didn’t disappear his pants right away, instead electing to lean back on his knees. Tony’s legs were spread around him and he got on his elbows as Stephen grabbed one of his hands, leading it to one of the three elaborate belts he wore. The tingle of magic tickled Tony’s hand as they ran their hands across Stephen’s belts together and the buckles undid under their touch.

“I think,” Stephen started, biting his lip as Tony palmed at him through his pants, “that if you can kiss me into the next dimension, I should fuck you into the next dimension to return the favor.” he purred.

Tony nodded fervently.

“Gonna do it, Sorcerer Supreme?” he asked, and Stephen pulled Tony towards him before leaning down to kiss his neck.

“Anything for Earth’s best defender.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> All kudos, comments, and critisms are welcome! While I don’t have a tumblr, feel free to drop any fic requests in the comments too :)


End file.
